Cyanogen retweeted this blog entry today, on the subject of task killers - link.
I used to use a task killer back when I had a G1, but eventually decided to stop using "autokill" functionality and that has continued through to the Hero and now the Desire. I still have a task killer that I'll use infrequently to kill an errant app (can't remember the last time I used it!), but 99/100 I'll let Android do it's thing and I don't suffer from lag or performance issues.
I know this subject is very divisive, but I think we can all agree that Cyanogen *knows* an awful lot more about Android that most of the rest of us combined! He's of the opinion that task killers are a waste of time, and IMHO, his opinion carries a lot of weight.
My advice to anyone who is using an task killer to automatically kill apps is to try not using one for a while. If you experience problems, take a look at your apps and see if there's a particular one causing your issues.
Regards,
Dave
Taskkillers have been know for a long time to be useless on Android. It's the Windows (And WinMo) mentality that people have.
I still cringe everytime I see someoen talk about taskkillers.
Related
Simple poll, just want to know how many people are using task killers or not.
EDIT. This is for froyo users
Nope. The Desire rarely slows down so I don't see a need for it. Especially with Android's efficient Activity stack management.
Nah, I'm not using one. I was when I first got my phone but I've found that without one I actually get better battery life.
I have one installed but hardly ever use it.
Not for speed or memory, but sometimes I have to kill something in order to get access to camera.
touch of jobo said:
I have one installed but hardly ever use it.
Not for speed or memory, but sometimes I have to kill something in order to get access to camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would you need to kill to access the camera?
^^
LED flashlight or bar code scanner. I think there was another one once but I forgot.
Ah I guess that would make sense. I don't think I've ever had an issue like that but I rarely use my camera to be honest.
I don't find a need to use a task killer for my own usage.
task killer came with the rom LeeDroid v1.6
Task killer is useless imho.I was using desire with 2.1 for a long time having 30mb of free RAM and so what.every time system needed more RAM it killed something by itself.really no need to use it. It's Linux powa and the whole awesomnes of its memory management
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Like everyone already said, taskkillers are useless i'd use one only to be sure that sense ui isn't running in background when using an alternative launcher.
I tried using one for a while but I found it to be pretty useless and so I don't use one anymore.
I've used a few task killers/managers but none of them seem to work properly on froyo. Has anyone got any suggestions to a working one?
The general consensus is that Task Killers do more harm than good on the Android Platform. The OS takes care of programs in it's own special way so a Task Killer isn't necessary and can actually hurt battery life.
Asking I have it loaded atm it seems to work but its not sticking on reboot have to reset it
sent with my evo from a secret place
Sporkman said:
Asking I have it loaded atm it seems to work but its not sticking on reboot have to reset it
sent with my evo from a secret place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, first of all, autokiller probably won't do much for you in Froyo, seeing as Froyo has some major memory enhancements. I'm not even sure if the file autokiller modifies still exists in Froyo. I'd imagine so, but I really don't know. All I know is, you really don't need autokiller at all.
Agreed.
I had Aaron La's Task Manager (a fantastic application management app by the way) set on auto-kill, etc and I my device ran much better uninhibited on both 2.1 and 2.2. I know it seems hard to believe but... that's the glory of Android...
Now I use Task Manager for install/maintain/uninstall purposes only.
I vastly prefer SystemPanel.
I used to be OCD about killing tasks, until I read more about how it actually worsens battery life
oh yeah, and the funny part is, Task killers won't even work in Froyo. They can stop apps, but the apps just pop back up into memory. All the OCD people out there are going to go nuts!
Just read that task killers no longer work as they are supposed to in 2.2 im wondering if there is anything else i can do aside from using the completely crap method google has given froyo of going to setting/apps/manage apps and force killing all the apps that start themselves
i noticed earlier ATK wasnt killing some apps so this kind of explains it
You don't NEED a task killer in Android in the first place.
--
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.
use task manager by adao team
ive tried other task killers and they all created FCs and resets. task manager is the only task killer that i found that works great with no FCs or resets. task manager is awesome lets u auto kill task with a set time after your screen is off instead of instantly. it also lets you kill services. it really does help my EVO and i can suggest it. also it was recently updated to work with 2.2. try it out and let me know what u think. make sure to ignore things that are important to you such as mail messages etc
Or you could listen to the first reply and just stop using a task killer. Froyo is much more optimized than previous versions of Android, and really runs find on its own. By lettings apps sit in memory, the phone will run faster and more optimized. Seriously, that's why Google deprecated the code that task killers originally used.
as much as id like to not fumble around with a task killer i find it hard to believe it doesnt need one for the one reason that if i dont use one after about 30 minutes of opening and closing apps or just basic use it starts getting choppy and slow...
I was sold on task killers originally, believing them to increase battery life.
Wrong. They sure did on WinMo 5.x - 6.x, but they sure DONT on android.
I actually tested it out myself. Since going without task killer, i'm getting exactly the same battery life I got with it. It might even be a touch better since there is now no task killer code taking CPU time and hogging memory.
Edit:
Also, we have the best multi-tasking phone OS in our hands and we want to hobble it by killing processes willy-nilly. Why don't we embrace the fact that android beats WinMo by a country mile in multi-tasking, and beats iOS 4 by a lap or two. Oh and iPhone OS 3.x and before still say "wtf is multitasking?"
Thanks.
Sorry i know there's posts on app killers being safe or not, just had a question towards it.
i currently have the HTC but soon to upgrade to the HTC Evo, and when i get the Evo i want to do this a safer way.
on my HTC hero ive used Advance App killer, or Estrong Task Manager. but over the 5 months of having this phone. ive noticed a HUGE decrease in speed. before i could open and close apps and it would be semi fast. and now some take 3-4 seconds. ive flashed roms and then go back to original settings. im not downloading any apps really except:
Winamp, Angry Bird, Zenonia, pandora, Battle.net blizz authenticator. and task killer. so my memory isn't being taken up all that much.
I'm not trying to start a pro vs con task killer debate, but I've had no reason to use one on my EVO. When I had my Hero I had to use them constantly, but mine was stock unrooted 2.1.
it could be how the hero handles froyo...my returns had similar issue after flashing cm 6 for froyo...i may be wrong...technically as far as I know froyo don't need a task killer.
ok well thank you for ur input
theidlemonk said:
it could be how the hero handles froyo...my returns had similar issue after flashing cm 6 for froyo...i may be wrong...technically as far as I know froyo don't need a task killer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i noticed with froyo ive had issues with them more cause it doesnt close them at all. it says it does but reopens everythign the exact same second. like mu music, messaging, email, internet, ect...
but when i went back to stock it just seems my phone lost so much speed. takes forever to open anything now
There is no reason to kill apps with froyo. Use Autostarts to prevent crap from starting and let Android do its thing. If you think your phone is running sluggish, do a hot reboot instead of killing apps. If you want to use a task manager, SystemPanel is the only one I recommend, and not for its app killing. It has a lot of other features to help you diagnose issues and keep track of what apps are doing.
awesome, thank you again metalhead.
As long as you use a froyo rom, it handles task killing all by itself. If you insist on using a task killer, try Autokiller from the market. Its not a traditional task killer, it lets you tweak the task killing to certain degrees. Give it a shot.
kyhassen said:
awesome, thank you again metalhead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
noooo prob
Sab3r One said:
As long as you use a froyo rom, it handles task killing all by itself. If you insist on using a task killer, try Autokiller from the market. Its not a traditional task killer, it lets you tweak the task killing to certain degrees. Give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, it is better on the long run